No Deadline Extension, Says Covered California

California’s health care exchange is not extending the same one-day enrollment grace period as the White House is, meaning the deadline for Californians to apply for health insurance that takes effect Jan. 1st remains Monday at midnight.

No ifs, ands or buts, says Covered California: Monday is deadline day if you want to sign up for coverage under California’s health care exchange beginning next week.

Well, there is one but – if you make what the exchange calls a “good-faith effort” to sign up Monday, but technical problems prevent you from finishing your application, you will be able to complete it Tuesday.

This isn’t the first time Covered California has chosen a path separate from the White House. Last month, facing complaints from individual market policy holders whose insurance plans were being canceled, President Obama allowed insurers to offer those plans for an extra year.

The Covered California board unanimously disagreed with the president, meaning that Californians’ plans that aren’t compliant with the federal health care law will not be extended through 2014.

We want to help every consumer who makes a good faith effort to enroll by today, says #CoveredCA Ex. Dir. Peter V. Lee.